Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant got some really good news today. His right tackle is coming back.
“I have decided to return to Clemson for my senior year,” Mitch Hyatt said in a statement Wednesday. “I have some unfinished business on the field and I know another year will benefit me. And, it is very important to me to finish my education.”
By coming back for another year, Hyatt has a chance to build a claim as the most accomplished player in Clemson history. He’s already a three-year starter, and in those three years Clemson has won three ACC championships, reached three College Football Playoffs, appeared in the 2015 national championship game and won the 2016 national title.
On an individual level, Hyatt was named a First Team All-American by The Sporting News and ESPN in 2017, and was a consensus Second Team All-American. He was also selected as the recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the top offensive lineman in the ACC and voted on by the league’s defensive coaches.
Hyatt has started 42 games at right tackle and appeared in 43. He has a chance to become the first offensive lineman in Clemson history to make three All-ACC teams, and the first lineman since Stacy Seegars a quarter century ago to make two All-America teams.